not they should pay the bills that have already racked up. >> but house republicans pushed back. the president thinks he's not going to negotiate, he better thing again. he's president of the united states, not emperor of the planet. >> reporter: this could get scarier than the cliff. >> it may take a default, another downgrade, the serious economic consequences that flow from it to jolt us back to some kind of reality. >> reporter: and not a happy new year. congressional scholar said it could look like tribal war fare up here and soon. steve handelsman, news4. >>> thank you, steve. we invite you to stay with news4 for continuing coverage on the fallout from the fiscal cliff deer. coming up later, northern virginia bureau reporter will talk to lawmakers from virginia about the potential impact of sequestration on that statement. >>> the big story on capitol hill today, the battle over a multibillion dollar bill to provide aid to states slammed by hurricane sandy. this after lawmakers on both sides of the all lashed out to boehner. critics say it contains wasteful spending. but la